Upright-piano case



(N0 Model.)

G. M. GUILD.

UPRIGHTIPIANO CASE.

No. 243,700. Patented July 5, 1881.

N. PCTERS, MrUlMgr-lphr. Wnhinglon, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. GUILD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

U PRlGHT-PIANO CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,700, dated July 5, 1881,

Application filed May 10, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE M. GUILD, of Boston, of the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Cases of Upright Piano-Fortes or Organs; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of, an upright-piano-forte case furnished with my invention. Fig. 3 is a view of the lid-operative mechanism, to be described.

The nature of my invention is fully defined by the claims hereinafter presented.

In carrying out my improvement I have the music-rack A a movable portion of the front of the piano-case B, which, in the part thereof above the keys, is constructed with a rectangular opening, a, to which the said rack is adapted as a door usually is to the opening of its frame. The rack at or near its upper corners is to be hinged or pivoted to the opposite upright edges of the opening in a manner to enable the rack to be swung forward out of the opening and inclined, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. WVhen so out and inclined the rack at its lower edge is to rest upon the fall-board or key-chamber cover 0 when the latter, on bein g turned up and back, rests against the front of the case, in manner as represented in Fig. 1. The said fall-board is to be so hinged or applied to the case that when so turned back and bearing against the front of the case it, the said fall-board, sh all extend underneath the music-rack and support it when it is out in a position for sustaining a book or sheet of music in front of a player of the instrument.

In the top of the case is an opening, 11, provided with a cover or lid, 0, below which is a lever, 01, that is fulcrumed to the rear face of the front portion, 0, of the case.

To one end of the lever there is hinged a pro- 5 jection, f, so that the latter may be turned up and folded down upon the upper edge of the lever, or may be turned back into line with the said lever. The lever, with its hinged projection, is disposed directly underneath and close to the lid 0.

A spring, g, fixed to the lever, draws its forward arm down upon a stationary rest, h, and

(No model.)

there is attached to the rear arm of the lever a line, i, which goes partly around one or more guide-wheels, 70, arranged as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. From the said wheel the line proceeds and is fastened to the musicrack.

On the music-rack being drawn out or pulled forward, if the projection f be turned up on the top of the lever, the lid 0 will be forced upward, so as to uncover its opening to allow the sound of the strings, when played on, to freely pass through and out of the said opening. Should the projection be down in line with the lever, no such movement upward of the lid will take place, while the lever may be moved by the line attached to the music-rack.

I am aware that it is notnew, in a pianoforte case, to have a face-plate hinged at its lower edge to an opening in the front of the case, and provided with a music rest or shelf to fold back within the case when the face plate is up in a vertical position. This differs from myimprovement, in which the music-rack does not turn upward, nor does it have the music-rest on its rear side, so as to shut into the case, such rest being on the front side of the rack. \Vith my improvement the case is not open above the rack when the latter is inclined, as results when the rack or face-plate is hinged at its lower edge, as represented in the United States Patent No. 124,470.

I would remark that I am aware that the top of a reed-organ case has been provided with means of moving it by a stop, to be drawn out by the hand of a person applied to it.

By makin g the music-rack part of the means for operating the top lid of the case the stop can be dispensed with, and the lid will always be moved upward when the music-rack is drawn forward, and such lid will be depressed on the rack being moved in or back to a vertical position.

I claim as my invention as follows, via:

1. The music-rack hinged at its upper edge to the top of its receiving-opening of the case, in combination with the key-fallboard arranged with such rack and opening, substantially as set forth-viz so that when such fall-board is turned back to uncover the keys and the rack is swung forward out of its opening such rack may be turned down upon the fall-boardand supported in an inclined position thereby, all being substantially as explained.

2. The combination of the movable musicrack and the top lid of the case with means or mechanism by which, on the rack being drawn forward to an inclined position, it, by such means or mechanism, shall cause the top lid to be moved upward relatively to its opening at the top of the case, such being for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the music-rack and the lever cl, connected by means as described, 10 of the piece f, hinged to and arranged with the lever, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

GEORGE M. GUILD.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, S. N. PIPER. 

